The rock world’s obsession with dogs goes back to the beginning of the genre itself, Elvis’s “Hound Dog.” There’s Zeppelin’s “Black Dog,” AC/DC’s “Givin’ the Dog a Bone,” Aerosmith’s “Walkin’ the Dog” (a cover) and “Sick as a Dog.” Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell was even chided by his bandmates to stop referencing dogs in his lyrics. Mudhoney’s Mark Arm seemed to have a similar fixation, culminating most recently with his paean to “Little Dogs.” So, here we have Portland trio Belonging with their new track/video called simply “The Dog,” one of three new songs by the post-metal sludge outfit on their side of a split with fellow Portlanders Inny (who also contribute their own song titled “The Dog” to their side of the rekkid). The accompanying video is unfortunately woefully short on dogs, I’m chagrined to say. It does feature plenty of melancholy and the kind of quiet-loud interplay that Baroness did so well circa Yellow & Green. For a trio—Bryce August (guitars/vocals), Jeremy Hansen (bass), Shane Heilman (drums)—these guys kick up a helluva thick sound and find an impressive balance between soothing and crushing.
Belonging’s side of the split was recorded at Lo Rent Studios. It was mixed by Dan Jensen and mastered by Carl Saff. The record will be available on 12″ LP and download via Dipterid Records on February 6. Place your preorder here. Check out Belonging’s upcoming Pacific Northwest live dates below.
Guitarist/vocalist Bryce August gave us some background on the dog theme of this split record:
“Bukowski called love ‘A Dog From Hell.’ Yeats wrote that the mythic Irish hero Cú Chulainn, or the Hound of Ulster, ‘fought with the invulnerable tide.’ All three of the songs on [our side of the] split were written around what happens when all-consuming emotion—passion, obsession, despair—runs into something protean, elemental and immovable like the sea. ‘The Dog,’ in particular, is about love, loss and how we go on living, keeping our promises to the dead.”
Belonging live dates:
02/19 – Portland, OR – Alleyway Cafe & Bar
02/20 – Seattle, WA – The Kraken Bar & Lounge
02/21 – Bellingham, WA – The Shakedown
02/22 – Tacoma, WA – Slice of Life
